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Europe has edged out Alaska for second place in an annual report on top cruise destinations.

Cavallo-B baby tooth, the first European anatomically modern human discovered.

Savvy tourists considering a European vacation might also be wondering if there are bargains to be had, especially in the four countries worst hit by the economic crisis —Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. These struggling nations rely heavily on tourism revenue, and they are working hard to boost this sector of their economies.

The travel crunch in Europe began to ease somewhat, but fliers hoping to make it home in time for Christmas still faced formidable odds.

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The Europe Square. National pavilions are sectioned in various zones, representing each continent.

Few U.S. travelers say they're canceling trips to Europe because of a new terror alert. But some say they'll be on their guard. The travel alert from the State Department on Sunday warns of possible acts of terrorism by al-Qaeda and other organizations, particularly on public transportation and at tourist attractions.

Norwegian Cruise Line says its newest ship, the 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic, has been setting one booking record after another in the three weeks since its introduction in Europe.

Ash from an erupting volcano blanketed the ground in Iceland and left a widening trail of grounded aircraft across Europe, as thousands of planes stayed on the tarmac to avoid the hazardous cloud.

Smoke billows from an erupting volcano by the Eyjafjallajokull glacier near ReykjavÌk. Iceland's second volcano eruption in less than a month melted part of a glacier and caused heavy flooding. Volcanic ash forced the closure of many airports across Europe.

Munich has Europe's best public transport, according to a new study published Tuesday that finds commuters and visitors in 22 other cities face a range of quality in public information, travel times and charges.

Whitney Houston is back on stage in Europe. She performed during the broadcast of the TV show Wetten, dass..? (Let’s Make a Bet) in Freiburg, southern Germany, on Saturday.

Travelers who've already bought their tickets for summer or fall flights to Europe could be eligible for big refunds now that carriers, worried about weak business travel demand and sagging revenue, are cutting prices dramatically.

An arctic fox is released into its new residence in Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands. The zoo launched a campaign to make people aware of the threat to predators like the arctic fox in Europe.

It's almost April in Paris, and trans-Atlantic airlines are beckoning restless vacationers to Europe with some of the most aggressive discounts in years.

Employees from the Clairoix tire plant demonstrate against planned layoffs in Paris. The German company Continental AG plans to stop producing tires at the plant and will reduce capacity at other sites in Europe.

Ukrainian security service agents oversee employees at the headquarters of the state gas company during a criminal inquiry into illegal gas seizures in Kiev. The agents burst into the Naftogaz building searching for contracts with Russian energy giant Gazprom, whose dispute with Naftogaz sparked the crisis that disrupted gas supplies to Europe in January.

A musher and his sled dogs are seen on a trail during the Sedivackuv Long, said to be one of the most difficult sled dog races in Europe, in the village of Destne near the Orlicke mountains, about 100 miles north-east of Prague, Czech Republic.

Scrapped that European summer trip because of pricey airfares? An unusual August fare sale might change people's minds.

Currency exchange rates across the 21-country European Union are prompting international travelers to look elsewhere this summer.

"The USA received 1.5 million more visits from overseas last year than in 2006 as the weak U.S. dollar lured more Europeans interested in exercising their increased buying power. Last year, the USA received an estimated 23.2 million visits from outside North America, up almost 7% from 2006, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce estimate."

San Francisco's third-string quarterback, Shaun Hill, played like a first-stringer in leading the 49ers past Cincinnati 20-13. Hill got the call because of injuries to Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer - and he came through by hitting 21-of-28 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for one score in his first start since 2003 when he played in NFL Europe.

A strong breeze catches a woman’s hair in Frankfurt, Germany, as heavy storms hit Europe. More high winds and storms are expected to sweep across Europe in coming days.

Birds fly over a junkyard in Kosovo Polje, Serbia, where hundreds of people survive by picking through refuse dumped there by NATO peacekeeping forces and other parties. The Kosovo region is one of the poorest in Europe.

Women wearing traditional clothing climb over rows of asparagus in a field near Beelitz, Germany, on the first official day of the asparagus season in Brandenburg. The harvest attracts a seasonal migration of workers from Eastern European countries.

One of 90 would-be immigrants rests in the Port of Los Cristianos, on Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife. The man arrived on a coast guard rescue boat after being intercepted at sea while traveling in a wooden fishing boat. Thousands of African immigrants arrive by boat every year looking to find a better life in Europe.

The NHL 2007-08 season got underway in London as the Stanley Cup champion Ducks and Kings battled in the league's first regular-season game in Europe. Here, the Ducks' Bobby Ryan (54) scored past Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier for a third-period goal. Michael Cammalleri scored two goals for the Kings en route to a 4-1 triumph.

'Rocky Balboa' mastermind Sylvester Stallone is also plugging away in Europe.
Here, he throws a few punches for German photographers at a press conference in the northern city of Cologne.

Shrek the Third's Justin Timberlake, left, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas continue their promotional swing through Europe.
Wednesday found them on Banderas' home turf — Spain.